It is very common to print graphics, or images (e.g., animations, photographic images, geometric shapes, representations of animals, plants, etc.) on different surfaces. The quality of a printed rendering of an image, e.g., in terms of the visibility and clarity of one or more given features of the printed image, may depend on various attributes of the surface onto which the image is printed, as well as on various characteristics of the image itself.
Attributes of the surface onto which the image is printed that may affect the quality of the printed rendering of the image may include material, shape, various chemical properties of the surface, and so on. For example, the quality of a printed image will generally be higher when printed on a sheet of paper than when printed on fabric. Similarly, the quality of an image printed on a single section of a relatively firm piece of fabric will generally be higher than that of the same image printed on several sections (e.g., stitched together) of elastic, amorphous fabric.
Characteristics of the image that may affect the quality of the printed rendering of the image may include thickness of lines in the image, contrast within the image, contrast between the image and the background, size of the image, and so on. For instance, the quality of a printed image that has relatively thick lines will generally be higher that the quality of a printed image that has relatively thin lines. Likewise, a printed rendering of larger image will generally result in higher quality.
Various other factors may affect the quality of a printed rendering of an image. For example, image quality may deteriorate with repeated application of the same image to a number of mass-produced articles during the course of a manufacturing run.
Absorbent articles, such diapers, present particular challenges with regard to printing images (e.g., cartoon characters), because such articles often include various surfaces of different layers, shapes, materials, seam patterns, and so on. As a result, when printing images on absorbent articles, the quality of the printed graphic often needs to be evaluated. The quality of the printed image may need to be evaluated, for example, for quality control purposes during manufacturing (e.g., to ensure that absorbent articles are produced to meet or exceed certain requirements). Additionally, or alternatively, the quality of the printed image may need to be evaluated during product development, e.g., to develop new absorbent articles that are better suited for displaying printed images.